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| ==Azerbaijanians== | |||
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| The Azerbaijanians, also referred to as Azerbaijanian ] or ], are a Turkic-Muslim people who live in the ], located in a crossroads between eastern ] and western ]. Term Azerbajanis was first introduced by bolsheviks, with intention to claim northern province of Persia (from ] - Iran). Thus, referring to term Azerbaijan in historivcal context before 1918 is nonsence. | |||
| '''Azerbaijanis''' (sometimes described as '''Azerbaijani Turks''' or '''Azeris''') are a people numbering more than 25 million worldwide. The majority, around 17 million, live in ]. The rest, around 8 million, live in ]. There are also sizeable communities in ], ], ], ], ], and ]. The overwealming majority are ] ]. | |||
| Before ] muslim population of modern territory of Azerbajdzhan did not have ethnic identification and call themselves just muslims. By 1918 approximately 60% of population were ], whereas Azerbaijanis (or, correclty, Azeri Turks) contituted ca 30% of population. Ethnic cleansing and descrimination on ethnic basis almost completely eliminated Talysh and ] population. Azeri historians use georgraphical principle in their studies. According to theory of ], Azeriz did not change at all during centuries, withstanding all invasions and wars and inherit all territories of nation lived on territory of contemporary Azerbaijan. | |||
| ⚫ | ==Origins== | ||
| The northern half of Iranian province of Azerbaijan was annexed by the Russians in ]. Between ] and ] approximately one million Azeri Turks migrated to ] from ]. Total number of Azeri Turks is more than 10 million worldwide, with the majority living outside of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Republic of ] has a population of 5 million, while more than 2 million live in Russia and 1 million living in different CIS contries, mainly in ], the northwestern region of Iran in the provinces of Ardebil, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan and Zanjan; the territory of South Azerbaijan. | |||
| Much has been debated about the racial, cultural and linguistic origin of the Azerbaijani people. It is difficult to disentangle national pride and ambition, imperial or political propaganda and good science. | |||
| More than 8 million live in various cities in central Iran especially in the capital of Tehran. Most analysts state that at least 50% of the city and province of Tehran including the city of Karaj, is inhabited by Azeri Turks. The nomadic Turkic tribes of Afshar, Shahseven, Qarapapaq, Qajar and Timurtash who are spread across Iran are tribes of the Azerbaijanians. There are also 2 million indigenous Azerbaijanians living in the eastern region of Turkey (mostly in Kars and Igdir), 2.5 million throughout the ] (mostly in the autonomous republic of ] and the capital city of ]) 1 million living in northern Iraq (whom are referred to as Turkmens that live mostly in ], ] and ]) and 300,000 living in the southern region of Georgia. There are also scattered populations of Azerbaijanians in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Syria and Afghanistan, including a large diaspora living in North America and Europe. | |||
| Having said this, a fair number of historians consider the nation of Azerbaijani Turks the inheritants of ancient Iranian ]. Others believe they are the descendants of various bodies of ], in particular the ], but also ]s (Ishkuz), Cimmerians, ], ], ], Barsils, Kurtugurs, Saragurs, ] and others. | |||
| ⚫ | ==Origins== | ||
| The most commonly accepted view is that the Azerbaijanis are the result of a mixture of Iranian, Caucasian and Turkish waves of immigration. This is supported by the analysis of sources which shows that many different people and ethnic groups have settled in the region and have left their influences. | |||
| The Azerbaijanians are a Turkic people, descending primaraly from the ]. The Oghuz Turks, a confederation of 24 tribes originating in Central Asia migrated to Azerbaijan in the 10th century and became the majority population in the land. | |||
| ⚫ | According to the 1911 |
||
| Azerbaijan's ancient ethnic composition seems to consist of ] and ] peoples who intermingled with one another. ] (Iranian) peoples had interaction in southern parts of ] (south of Hamedan) yet the ethnic structure of the territory of Media and Albania seems to have been primaraly Turanian and Caucasian, with various tribes of Scythian (Ishkuz) and Caucaus mountain tribes, such as the Chols. | |||
| ⚫ | According to |
||
| ⚫ | According to the 1911 ] "the people of the Mada (Mata), the Medes, appear in history first in 836 B.C., when the Assyrian conqueror Shalmaneser II in his wars against the tribes of the Zagros received the tribute of the Amadai ....Herodotus gives a list of six Median tribes among them the Paraetaceni....names in the Assyrian inscriptions prove that the tribes in the Zagros and the northern parts of Media (Azerbaijan) were not Iranians but an aboriginal population.....perhaps connected with the numerous tribes of the Caucasus (northern Azerbaijan, Albania)....Gelae, Tapuri, Cadusii, Amardi, Utii and other tribes in northern Media (Azerbaijan) and on the shores of the Caspian were not Iranians. With them Polybius, Strabo and Pliny mention the Anariaci, whom they consider as a particular tribe; but in reality their name, the Non-Aryans, is the comprehensive designation of all these small tribes..... | ||
| ⚫ | According to historian ], in the period between 191-200 A.D., hordes of Barsil and Khazar Turks crossed the Kura river in Azerbaijan. | ||
| According to the historian ], descriptions of incursions into Azerbaijan by Turks (Huns and Khazars) occurred in the 4th and 5th centuries. Tabari also states that by the mid-6th century, there was a significant Turkish presence in Azerbaijan. | According to the historian ], descriptions of incursions into Azerbaijan by Turks (Huns and Khazars) occurred in the 4th and 5th centuries. Tabari also states that by the mid-6th century, there was a significant Turkish presence in Azerbaijan. | ||
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| Kalankatly also states that in the year 629, the army of the Gokturks as well as a series Khazar Turkic tribes entered Azerbaijan and declared the land to be "eternal possession" of Turks. | Kalankatly also states that in the year 629, the army of the Gokturks as well as a series Khazar Turkic tribes entered Azerbaijan and declared the land to be "eternal possession" of Turks. | ||
| Byzantine sources of the mid |
Byzantine sources of the mid 6th century refer to the "settlement of Khazar Turks" in the left bank of the Kura river, and Moisey Khaghankatli, a historian from pre-Islamic Azerbaijan referred to a "Hun state" on the left bank of the Kura River in the 7th century. | ||
| According to Professor Peter B. Golden, "In the course of the seventh century, the two major tribal unions emerged in Azerbaijan under the Turk banner: the Khazars and the Bulgars...the Khazars formed the bulk of the Turk forces used by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (610-640) in his counter-offensive against the Sasanids (rulers) in Azerbaijan" | According to Professor Peter B. Golden, "In the course of the seventh century, the two major tribal unions emerged in Azerbaijan under the Turk banner: the Khazars and the Bulgars...the Khazars formed the bulk of the Turk forces used by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (610-640) in his counter-offensive against the Sasanids (rulers) in Azerbaijan" | ||
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| Pre-Islamic Turkic presence in Azerbaijan is evident in literature after the Islamic conquest of the region, in an era that was famous for its historical, geographical and scientific analyzations of the world by Muslim scholars and Islamic states. According to the 7th century work of Ubeid ibn Shariyya al-Jurhumi, the Muslim Caliph Mueviyyen (661-680) was told that Azerbaijan "has long been a land of Turks. Having gathered over there, they have mixed with one another and become integrated." | Pre-Islamic Turkic presence in Azerbaijan is evident in literature after the Islamic conquest of the region, in an era that was famous for its historical, geographical and scientific analyzations of the world by Muslim scholars and Islamic states. According to the 7th century work of Ubeid ibn Shariyya al-Jurhumi, the Muslim Caliph Mueviyyen (661-680) was told that Azerbaijan "has long been a land of Turks. Having gathered over there, they have mixed with one another and become integrated." | ||
| It must also be noted that the famous "Book of Dede Korkut" which is the epic of the Oghuz Turks (considered the main ancestors of |
It must also be noted that the famous "Book of Dede Korkut" which is the epic of the Oghuz Turks (considered the main ancestors of Azerbaijanians) was written in Azerbaijan in the 6th and 7th centuries. | ||
| The Turkic and non-Turkic peoples of pre-Islamic Azerbaijan were absorbed by the Oghuz Turks of the 10th century. | |||
| ⚫ | ==Language== | ||
| ⚫ | ''Main article: ]'' | ||
| The Azerbaijanis speak ] (sometimes called Azerbaijani Turkish or Azeri) which is a ] mixed with the original ] language of the area which was an Iranin language. Some other Turkic languages are ] and ] (see also ]), ] and ]. The standard Azerbaijani language developed from the ] onwards. | |||
| ⚫ | ==Language== | ||
| Prior to the 10th century, there were various Turkish dialects spoken across the region. | |||
| ⚫ | ''Main article: ]'' | ||
| The Azerbaijanians speak ] (sometimes called Azerbaijanian Turkish or Azeri) which is a ]. The standard Azerbaijanian language developed from the ] onwards. | |||
| The modern written language of the Azerbaijanis developed from the ] to the ], after the Oghuz Turkic migrations and the decline of the ] state in Central Asia. This is the timespan that is called Azerbaijan's cultural and linguistic "golden age". | The modern written language of the Azerbaijanis developed from the ] to the ], after the Oghuz Turkic migrations and the decline of the ] state in Central Asia. This is the timespan that is called Azerbaijan's cultural and linguistic "golden age". | ||
| ==Demographics== | ==Demographics== | ||
| There are about total 21 to 40 million Azerbaijanis in the world, but census figures are incomplete. | |||
| It is estimated that there are 16 |
It is estimated that there are between 16-28 million Azerbaijanians in Iran, 8 million in the Republic of Azerbaijan, 2 million in], possibly over one million in the ], more than 2 million in ], 500,00 thousand in ], | ||
| More than 90% of |
More than 90% of Azerbaijanians are ] Turks, but there are also ], ]s, ]s, ]s and ]. In recent years there have been many conversions to Sunni Islam. | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 09:15, 6 June 2005
Azerbaijanians
The Azerbaijanians, also referred to as Azerbaijanian Turks or Azeris, are a Turkic-Muslim people who live in the Azerbaijan, located in a crossroads between eastern Europe and western Asia. Term Azerbajanis was first introduced by bolsheviks, with intention to claim northern province of Persia (from 1936 - Iran). Thus, referring to term Azerbaijan in historivcal context before 1918 is nonsence.
Before 1918 muslim population of modern territory of Azerbajdzhan did not have ethnic identification and call themselves just muslims. By 1918 approximately 60% of population were Talysh, whereas Azerbaijanis (or, correclty, Azeri Turks) contituted ca 30% of population. Ethnic cleansing and descrimination on ethnic basis almost completely eliminated Talysh and Lezgi population. Azeri historians use georgraphical principle in their studies. According to theory of Buniyatov, Azeriz did not change at all during centuries, withstanding all invasions and wars and inherit all territories of nation lived on territory of contemporary Azerbaijan.
The northern half of Iranian province of Azerbaijan was annexed by the Russians in 1828. Between 1900 and 1918 approximately one million Azeri Turks migrated to Baku from Iran. Total number of Azeri Turks is more than 10 million worldwide, with the majority living outside of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Republic of Azerbaijan has a population of 5 million, while more than 2 million live in Russia and 1 million living in different CIS contries, mainly in Ukraine, the northwestern region of Iran in the provinces of Ardebil, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan and Zanjan; the territory of South Azerbaijan.
More than 8 million live in various cities in central Iran especially in the capital of Tehran. Most analysts state that at least 50% of the city and province of Tehran including the city of Karaj, is inhabited by Azeri Turks. The nomadic Turkic tribes of Afshar, Shahseven, Qarapapaq, Qajar and Timurtash who are spread across Iran are tribes of the Azerbaijanians. There are also 2 million indigenous Azerbaijanians living in the eastern region of Turkey (mostly in Kars and Igdir), 2.5 million throughout the Russian Federation (mostly in the autonomous republic of Dagestan and the capital city of Moscow) 1 million living in northern Iraq (whom are referred to as Turkmens that live mostly in Kirkuk, Erbil and Mosul) and 300,000 living in the southern region of Georgia. There are also scattered populations of Azerbaijanians in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Syria and Afghanistan, including a large diaspora living in North America and Europe.
Origins
The Azerbaijanians are a Turkic people, descending primaraly from the Oghuz Turks. The Oghuz Turks, a confederation of 24 tribes originating in Central Asia migrated to Azerbaijan in the 10th century and became the majority population in the land.
Azerbaijan's ancient ethnic composition seems to consist of Turkic and Caucasian peoples who intermingled with one another. Indo-European (Iranian) peoples had interaction in southern parts of Media (south of Hamedan) yet the ethnic structure of the territory of Media and Albania seems to have been primaraly Turanian and Caucasian, with various tribes of Scythian (Ishkuz) and Caucaus mountain tribes, such as the Chols.
According to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica "the people of the Mada (Mata), the Medes, appear in history first in 836 B.C., when the Assyrian conqueror Shalmaneser II in his wars against the tribes of the Zagros received the tribute of the Amadai ....Herodotus gives a list of six Median tribes among them the Paraetaceni....names in the Assyrian inscriptions prove that the tribes in the Zagros and the northern parts of Media (Azerbaijan) were not Iranians but an aboriginal population.....perhaps connected with the numerous tribes of the Caucasus (northern Azerbaijan, Albania)....Gelae, Tapuri, Cadusii, Amardi, Utii and other tribes in northern Media (Azerbaijan) and on the shores of the Caspian were not Iranians. With them Polybius, Strabo and Pliny mention the Anariaci, whom they consider as a particular tribe; but in reality their name, the Non-Aryans, is the comprehensive designation of all these small tribes.....
According to historian Kalankatly, in the period between 191-200 A.D., hordes of Barsil and Khazar Turks crossed the Kura river in Azerbaijan.
According to the historian Tabari, descriptions of incursions into Azerbaijan by Turks (Huns and Khazars) occurred in the 4th and 5th centuries. Tabari also states that by the mid-6th century, there was a significant Turkish presence in Azerbaijan.
Kalankatly also states that in the year 629, the army of the Gokturks as well as a series Khazar Turkic tribes entered Azerbaijan and declared the land to be "eternal possession" of Turks.
Byzantine sources of the mid 6th century refer to the "settlement of Khazar Turks" in the left bank of the Kura river, and Moisey Khaghankatli, a historian from pre-Islamic Azerbaijan referred to a "Hun state" on the left bank of the Kura River in the 7th century.
According to Professor Peter B. Golden, "In the course of the seventh century, the two major tribal unions emerged in Azerbaijan under the Turk banner: the Khazars and the Bulgars...the Khazars formed the bulk of the Turk forces used by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (610-640) in his counter-offensive against the Sasanids (rulers) in Azerbaijan"
Pre-Islamic Turkic presence in Azerbaijan is evident in literature after the Islamic conquest of the region, in an era that was famous for its historical, geographical and scientific analyzations of the world by Muslim scholars and Islamic states. According to the 7th century work of Ubeid ibn Shariyya al-Jurhumi, the Muslim Caliph Mueviyyen (661-680) was told that Azerbaijan "has long been a land of Turks. Having gathered over there, they have mixed with one another and become integrated."
It must also be noted that the famous "Book of Dede Korkut" which is the epic of the Oghuz Turks (considered the main ancestors of Azerbaijanians) was written in Azerbaijan in the 6th and 7th centuries.
The Turkic and non-Turkic peoples of pre-Islamic Azerbaijan were absorbed by the Oghuz Turks of the 10th century.
Language
Main article: Azerbaijanian language
The Azerbaijanians speak Azerbaijanian (sometimes called Azerbaijanian Turkish or Azeri) which is a Turkic language. The standard Azerbaijanian language developed from the 10th century onwards.
The modern written language of the Azerbaijanis developed from the 10th to the 13th centuries, after the Oghuz Turkic migrations and the decline of the Oghuz Yabgu state in Central Asia. This is the timespan that is called Azerbaijan's cultural and linguistic "golden age".
Demographics
It is estimated that there are between 16-28 million Azerbaijanians in Iran, 8 million in the Republic of Azerbaijan, 2 million inRussia, possibly over one million in the US, more than 2 million in Turkey, 500,00 thousand in Georgia,
More than 90% of Azerbaijanians are Shia Muslims Turks, but there are also Sunni Muslims, Jews, Zoroastrians, Christians and Bahá'ís. In recent years there have been many conversions to Sunni Islam.